Of Waves and Fish
by xoInfinityxo
Summary: Annabeth is less than happy to move to Florida, but that all begins to change when she meets a mysterious boy named Percy. She and Percy start to bond, but Annabeth learns that he has more secrets than he is letting on. For example: the part that he's half fish, or in his case; a merman.
1. Chapter 1

_I had originally written this story on my old account, but I thought I would rewrite it and post I here in a better version, so I hope you enjoy!_

**Chapter 1**

**Annabeth**

The last place Annabeth wanted to be was Florida.

She hated everything about it, absolutely everything, and although she could back up any of these accusations with accurate evidence, she still loathed it. She especially loathed Hideaway Springs AKA her new home.

Hideaway Springs was the _complete _opposite from San Francisco, including the climate and pretty much its location in the U.S.

Florida was south east and San Francisco was north west, and not to mention on opposite sides of the country. She had made the argument to her father when he told her they were moving that it wasn't like she was moving a town over, but she was moving 2,000 miles across the country.

It's not like he could say she could still visit her friends because face it; she couldn't.

Her father had just remarried a woman named Heather, and to add on to that new change, he got a new promotion that relocated them across the country. So now here Annabeth was, stuck in a new place, with no one but her two new step brothers for company.

The house that they moved to was right near the beach, which was unfamiliar to Annabeth since she was used to the hustle-bustle of the city, and now all of a sudden here she was in a serene location by the ocean.

The house was a beach house, and it was fairly large, large enough for Annabeth not to complain, since it was a huge upgrade from their small apartment that she and her father used to share back in San Fran.

She remembered the day her father told her they were moving, and she absolutely threw a fit. She would have to leave all of her friends behind, and she locked herself in her room for a whole day. She refused to speak to her father and if anyone tried to come into her room she would throw pillow after pillow at them until they left.

She hadn't been able to process that it was all real, until she actually stepped into her new room that overlooked the ocean.

The walls were a light baby blue, and her bed was pushed up against one of the walls. There was a balcony, with two glass doors leading out to it, but a curtain over them for at night. She didn't know how often she would use that balcony, and she didn't intend to. All of her furniture was already unloaded into her room, but she still needed to unpack the boxes of her belongings and possessions.

She groaned as she flopped down on her bed, and stared up at the blue ceiling while closing her eyes tightly. Of all places in the world, of course they had to move to the _beach _right by the ocean.

Annabeth was deathly afraid of water. After her near death experience when she was five, she refused to step foot in a pool, ocean, lake, whatever large body of water she was near, she would try to get as far away as possible from it.

She didn't want to think about that experience, but the sounds of waves coming from outside of her window filled her mind, and her thoughts went elsewhere:

_A young Annabeth, maybe eight years old, sat by the apartment complex public pool with her ankles in the water. She was kicking the water lazily back and forth as the hot sun beat down on her back. The water was so cool and refreshing that she could just jump in if she wanted to, but she didn't want to get her hair wet, and besides, she had sprained her ankle a few days before and she didn't want to injure it. _

"_Come on, Annie!" Annabeth's best friend Luke, called from the water. He and some of his other friends were splashing around in the water, and Annabeth wanted to join them so badly, but she stared down at her wrapped ankle, and just smiled at her friend. _

"_Sorry Luke!" she called, "maybe another time!"_

"_Don't be a baby!" he teased, and Annabeth rolled her eyes. Luke's blond hair was sticking up from his head, and his face was red from the sun, but he didn't seem to mind. Annabeth glanced down at the water and noticed how cold and refreshing it was. _

"_Maybe just for a little bit," she said, and pushed herself into the water, followed by cheers from Luke and his older friends. Annabeth laughed as she swam over to Luke, kicking her feet against the cold water. _

_The sun no longer felt like an oven on her back as she floated nicely in the water, just letting the water soak her in. _

_Her ankle started to sting, so she swam over to a floating tube and hopped in, relaxed once again as Luke and the others continued to play. _

_She closed her eyes, soaking in the warm summer air, and the cold water beneath her, until she felt herself being flipped over and landing into the water. Unfortunately for her, she had hit her head against the wall of the pool, and it felt like a bus had rammed into her skull. _

_The quick prank had taken her by surprise, and she hadn't had time to hold her breath, so she had swallowed a fair amount of water, but unfortunately, she was flipped over in the deep end of the pool. Water filled her lungs, and she tried kicking to the top, but her ankle cramped up, and she wanted to cry out in pain, but she knew if she did she would only take in more water. Her head pounded, and she knew she was going to lose consciousness quickly enough. She waved her hands, trying to reach the surface that she could see distantly away, but Annabeth was never a strong swimmer, and with her ankle out of use, she couldn't exactly kick. _

_She started to see stars and started to resent herself for going out in such an idiotic way. Being flipped over and not being able to hold her breath?_

_That was until someone grabbed her and brought her back to the surface. _

_She landed on the ground and started spluttering and coughing out all of the water that had filled her chest. _

"_Oh my god, Annabeth, I'm so sorry," she heard Luke apologize over and over while leaning over her. Annabeth's father was standing over her, as the lifeguard for the pool stood over her, asking if she needed to go the hospital. _

_She wasn't exactly paying attention to what was going on, but soon an ambulance had arrived to take some vitals on Annabeth to see if she really was okay. _

_Although Annabeth's ankle eventually healed, and she had a minor concussion from the accident, but either way, Annabeth refused to ever swim again. _

Annabeth opened her eyes and let out a breath, trying not to think of that day. Her father had refused to let her be friends with Luke anymore after that, leaving Annabeth in a very lonely state for a long time.

Of course she eventually made other friends as the years went on, but she still refused to swim. Her father tried to tell her that that was a freak accident that could have happened, and it more than likely wouldn't happen again, but Annabeth wasn't going to take that chance. She had felt so helpless, and so scared as she sunk to the bottom of that pool, that she never wanted to experience that feeling again.

Now she was sixteen, and it was in the middle of the summer, and she had nothing to do.

Her two step brothers were already making the best of it. They were younger than Annabeth was, and they found interest in anything and everything. Right now they were down on the beach with Annabeth's father and her step mother (who were both taking a break from unpacking) while the boys made sand castles and played in the water.

Just watching them in the water made Annabeth nervous, so she turned away from the window and decided to explore.

She walked down the spiral staircase that lead into the living room, before heading outside into the hot Florida sun.

Annabeth had already had a tan that had come naturally with her genetics, but the sun only made her tanner, so she didn't mind as the hot sun beat down on her. The neighborhood was a quiet one, seeming as the environment that surrounded them was very calm.

Annabeth didn't know where to start first. She was by herself, and there was so much to see. She started by walking down her street, to see where it would lead her, and surprisingly it led her to a small square full of shops and restaurants. Tourists and residents littered the square, going in and out of shops and restaurants.

Annabeth didn't have any desire to go into any shop or restaurant there, so instead she turned on her heel and headed back to her house.

Her house…

That felt so strange.

If someone had asked her where her house was a few months ago, she would've answered with "across the street from the public library in the Winston Apartment Complex and on the fifth floor, apartment 532."

But now that question and answer had a whole different meaning.

There was a small cobblestone path that led up to the front porch of the house, which extended off of the driveway, and as Annabeth was walking, she noticed something that she hadn't seen the first time.

It was a small dirt path, leading towards a brush full of small palm trees, and tropical flowers. Annabeth glanced at her new house, and the path, and decided which one she would prefer to be in.

She chose the path.

Her flip flops lifted up dirt from the path as she walked, but she didn't really mind. The palm trees loomed over her, casting a shadow, but she loved it anyways. There weren't any houses nearby, and Annabeth didn't exactly know where this path was leading her, but she was willing to find anything that wasn't her new home, or the ocean.

Birds chirped, and the waves of the ocean could still be heard as she walked. The sound wasn't as calming as most people would think to Annabeth. In fact, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, frightened her.

The whole ocean frightened her. It was so big, and deep, and who knows what's out there? Scientists don't even know what could be out in even the deepest parts of the oceans.

Annabeth tried to shake her mind from these thoughts, and continued to focus on the path in front of her, until something suddenly caught her mind. She pushed past a palm leaf, and was taken aback by a small pond. It was maybe ten feet long and ten feet wide, but the water was bluer than any sort of water she had ever seen.

And it was shallow. Well, it looked shallow. She could practically see the small pebbles at the bottom of the pond. It looked like something taken right out of a movie. The water looked so inviting, that even _Annabeth _of all people, had to resist the urge to go out and touch it.

She leaned down towards the clear water, and stared at her reflection in it, as it flickered in the small ripples of water. Her big gray eyes stared back at her, and her blonde curls fell around her face. She let out a breath before looking around. There wasn't any sign of human activity here, and for a moment, Annabeth liked it. She could sit down on the small rocks by the water, and just take in the sunlight.

Maybe it would even get her mind off of missing San Francisco…

Suddenly, the voice of her father broke her thoughts, calling her for dinner. Annabeth made her way back through the dirt path, until her house came into view.

She looked back once more time at the path, and made a mental promise to herself that she would go back for it tomorrow.

**I hope you liked it!**

**Don't worry, Percy's coming in soon ;)**

**Thanks for reading! Xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	2. Chapter 2

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 2**

**Annabeth**

It took Annabeth a moment to find her thoughts and to figure out _where _she was when she woke up the next morning.

The sound of the ocean outside of her window broke her thoughts, and she instantly remembered that she was in Hideaway Springs in Florida, not in San Francisco. She let out a groan and sat up from her bed while taking in her surroundings.

She had absolutely no desire to be here, but she swung her legs out over her bed and forced herself to stand.

She trudged her way downstairs, and the scent of pancakes instantly filled her nose.

"Good morning, Annabeth," Heather, her step mother, greeted her from the stove. She was flipping pancakes up and down from the pan, and Annabeth watched for a moment before sitting down at the table.

"Hi," she said meekly. Bobby and Matthew, her step brothers, were fighting over the last chocolate chip pancake, until Annabeth came up with the incredulous idea to split it.

"Hey," she said, "look, it's not that hard," and with that she split the pancake in two before tossing it on her brothers' plates, but managed to remove her hand before they ate it with the pancakes.

Sometimes she swears they're part dog.

"Would you like to eat, Annabeth?" Heather asked, while placing another plate of plain pancakes on the kitchen table. The pancakes looked good, but she just wasn't up to eating.

"I'm alright," she said, "maybe later."

Heather stared at her stepdaughter skeptically, before sighing and nodding.

"Alright, dear, by the way your father went for an early morning run if you're looking for him later," Heather said to Annabeth, and Annabeth nodded.

"Okay, thanks."

Suddenly, the pond filled her mind, and her fingers twitched to go there. She didn't know why she liked it so much, but it was just so peaceful and calm…

"I'm going for a walk," she said and slipped on her flip flops, not even bothering to change, before heading towards the door. She was outside before her stepmother could even respond.

The sun wasn't as hot that morning, since it was still rising. It was around seven, and Annabeth didn't care if she was an early riser, she had been like that all of her life.

As she walked, she thought about her life back home, in San Francisco. She thought about Luke, and she wondered how he was doing. She hadn't spoken to him since the seventh grade, when he dropped a pencil, and she picked it up for him, and he said thanks.

But that was it.

After her accident, Luke had tried to apologize over and over to her, but Annabeth's father wasn't going to allow it. He refused to let Annabeth see Luke anymore, and eventually, Luke stopped trying.

So Annabeth did too.

She was willing to make it work. She was willing to be friends secretly, since he was in fact her best friend, but once Luke stopped trying, Annabeth lost the will to, as well.

She let out a sigh as she thought about her old friend and kicked a clump of dirt on the path as she walked.

Suddenly, she froze when she heard what sounded like, whistling?

She was only a few feet away from the pond by now, and her heart hammered in her chest as the whistling grew louder.

There, sitting on one of the rocks was a teenage boy, maybe around Annabeth's age. He had jet black hair that fell in front of his eyes, as if he had just come back from a walk on the beach, which he most likely had. He was tan, and Annabeth could see the muscles beneath his shirt, but what really caught her attention was his eyes.

They were a sea green, greener than any pair of eyes Annabeth has seen in her whole life. They were practically mesmerizing and Annabeth wasn't even that close to him.

"It's not nice to stare, you know," the boy spoke, and Annabeth jumped slightly. He wasn't looking at her, but he must have obviously known she had been there.

"Uh, sorry," Annabeth said, and instantly felt like she wanted to hide back in her room, even if it was foreign to her. The boy turned to look at her, and Annabeth felt like her breath was caught in her throat as soon as his eyes fell on her.

Those eyes…

They held something different behind them, and it sent a chill down Annabeth's spine, as if he was reading her thoughts or seeing the future or something like that.

"Can I ask what you're doing here?" the boy asked while throwing a pebble into the pond, sending a ripple effect through the water. What was she doing here? Her father got a job and she was forced to be ripped away from the only life she knew in San Francisco.

"I don't have to answer to you," Annabeth said, "I don't even know who you are."

The boy seemed to find this amusing, since he laughed lightly. His laughed sounded like something of a dolphin's, and Annabeth stared at the water.

"It was a simple question," the boy protested, "but alright, whatever. Don't answer."

Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"By the looks of your outfit, I'm assuming you were hoping to get here before anyone else did," the boy said while looking Annabeth up and down. Annabeth's cheeks turned a bright red from embarrassment as she looked down at her pajama shorts and tank top, but she was just grateful that her tan blocked the noticeability.

"I didn't know anyone else knew about this place," Annabeth said while placing her hands on her hips, "but obviously I was wrong."

The boy laughed once again, and Annabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Sweetheart you're late to the party," he said, "this is practically my pond. I've been coming here since I was able to walk."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at the nickname "sweetheart" but she bit her tongue from firing anything back.

"Well I guess you'll have to share," she said while sitting down on a rock facing her. The boy stared at her, and narrowed his eyes, as if he was thinking of some sort of game plan to get rid of Annabeth.

"I don't share," he said, although there was a hint of amusement behind his voice.

"Then you'll learn," Annabeth chided back. She wasn't going to let the one place that she had found so far be taken away by an arrogant boy. She didn't care if she had to sit in silence with him, but she could _not _stay in that house.

"I like you," the boy said as if he had come to a conclusion already, "you're feisty."

"I prefer intelligent," Annabeth hissed, not exactly appreciating the comment. The boy chuckled, and his teeth were as white as pearls.

"I'm Percy," he said.

"Annabeth."

"I like that name," Percy said, "it's interesting."

Annabeth didn't exactly know how to respond to that, so she kept her eyes locked on the blue water in front of her.

"How come I've never seen you around before?" Percy asked, and Annabeth looked up at him, trying to ignore his eyes.

"I just moved here," she said, "from San Francisco."

Percy whistled and grinned at her.

"I've been there. That's a long way from here. Must've been hard."

Annabeth wanted to snap at him and say _"What do you know about that?"_ but she bit her tongue.

"It was," she responded, "do you live around here?"

Percy grinned, as if he was having an inside joke with himself, but just nodded.

"You could say that," he said, and the mischief behind his eyes and smile made Annabeth uneasy. She gave him an odd look, and turned her attention back on the water.

"Fair enough," she said.

Percy tossed another pebble into the pond, and his eyes reflected the ripple that went through the pond.

"I could never make a stone skip on water," Annabeth felt herself blurt out as she watched the ripples of the water. Percy looked at her from across the pond, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Never?" he asked, and Annabeth nodded.

"Never."

"It's so easy!"

"Maybe for you."

Percy chewed on his bottom lip as if he was deciding on what to do. He stood up, and Annabeth felt her heart hammer against her chest as he neared her. He was wearing regular jeans, and a plain blue polo, but Annabeth had just noticed now that he was barefoot.

"I'll teach you," he said, and Annabeth looked up at him skeptically. Now that she was closer to him, his eyes were even more mesmerizing than before.

"I doubt you'll be able to," she said, "I'm not exactly stone skipper of the year."

Percy laughed once more, and picked up a small stone before placing it in Annabeth's hand.

"Is that a challenge, Annabeth?" he asked, as the sun reflected off of his tanned skin. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him and stood up from her rock.

"What if it is?" she tested, and Percy grinned, showing a slight dimple in his left cheek. Suddenly, and idea came into Annabeth's mind, of a way to get rid of this annoying boy once and for all. A way for her to have one place of tranquility until she was able to go off to college and forget about this place.

"I have a challenge for you," she said while placing her hands on her hips, "a real one."

Percy raised his eyebrow as if this had caught his attention.

"The one who skips a rock the farthest gets to have privacy whenever they want at this pond, and the one who loses has to oblige to that," she said, and a tint of cockiness flashed in Percy's eyes.

"You're so on."

Annabeth grinned, and nodded towards the water.

"All you," she said, "go for it."

Percy grinned and picked up a rock before examining it closely. Annabeth watched as a look of satisfaction crossed over his face, and he took his stance. He flicked his wrist and sent the rock skipping across the pond.

"Beat that," he said proudly after the rock did a good five skips. Annabeth smiled and smoothed her fingers over the rock that he had handed her a few minutes before. She took a step forward and flicked her wrist, the same way her father had taught her years in advance.

The stone hopped six skips, and Annabeth smiled while putting her hands on her hips. Percy's jaw dropped so far that Annabeth was worried it would unhitch from his jaw.

"But you said-"

"Oops?" Annabeth said innocently, and Percy's surprisment turned to anger.

"That was sneaky," he said, and Annabeth shrugged.

"Rules are rules, and I want to be alone."

Percy stared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes, rather noticeably as well, before turning on his bare heel and storming off. Annabeth felt somewhat guilty for kicking him out of his spot, but the guilt soon left when she realized she was alone to watch the sunrise.

As she sat on one of the rocks, her eyes kept lingering on the rock that Percy was sitting on previously. Her conscious continued to whisper in her ear, telling her to do the right thing, until finally the guilt overtook her and she stood up with a grunt.

Curse her for having a good conscious, she thought. She groaned internally before walking quickly along the dirt path. She followed Percy's footprints, and noticed that he had walked towards the beach.

"Percy!" she called, "wait!"

She followed his footprints, until she spotted him standing by the water of the ocean. She quickened her pace, ignoring the scary waves of the ocean, and she thought to herself: _why was she doing this to a boy she just met?_

"Percy!" she called, and he turned his head. He didn't respond, but he looked at Annabeth with a look of distaste, which only made Annabeth feel even guiltier for kicking him out of his place. What if he had felt about it the same way Annabeth had and it was his safe haven?

"You can come back you know," she said, "I was only kidding about the bet."

"Nah," Percy said, "it's okay. You obviously need it more than I do."

Annabeth stared at him, not exactly sure what to make out of what he said.

"You can come any time you know," she continued, "no rules or anything."

Percy cracked a grin, as the sea breeze pushed his dark hair back.

"Thanks Annabeth."

They stood in silence for a moment before Annabeth turned silently on her heel. At least she had tried to convince him to come back, and he chose not to.

As she was making her way back to the path, she turned back once more to look for Percy, but he was gone…

She looked both ways down the beach, but he was nowhere to be seen.

What was up with that boy and why was Annabeth so curious about him?

**Sorry it was rushed and short. I hope you liked it though!**

**Thanks for reading! xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	3. Chapter 3

_Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or the cover image._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Annabeth**

Annabeth hated waking up every morning to the sound of the waves crashing outside of her window every morning, it was only a constant reminder that she was no longer in San Francisco but in this new place that she was to call her home for the next few years until she went off to college.

She didn't even want to imagine what it was going to be like when she had to go to school when the fall came, luckily that wouldn't be for a while. She rolled over onto her side and stared at the clock next to her bed; 7:45 a.m.

Why did she get up so early? She had no idea.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes while looking around her room at all of the boxes that still needed unpacking.

She swung her legs over her bed and stood up with a force, then she headed over to one of the boxes and opened it up. She felt her heart drop when she looked at all of the pictures from back home, and she felt like someone was poking her chest with a metal rod.

She instantly closed the box and stood up. Unpacking wouldn't be a good idea, because once all of the boxes were unpacked, then it would be official, and this whole move would be _real_.

Annabeth glanced outside of her window and noticed the sky was tinted pink from the sunrise. She had to admit, it was peaceful, considering no one was awake yet, and the ocean was peaceful.

She changed into a pair of running shorts and a tank top before putting on her sneakers and headed downstairs, quietly of course, trying not to wake anyone.

She used to run all of the time back at home, and it was always able to get her mind off of things, so she figured she could at least start doing that here. Maybe it would get her mind off of how treacherous this move was going to be.

She put her curly blonde hair back in its usual ponytail before starting her jog along the beach. The air was already warm from the summer weather, but she didn't mind, since the sea breeze seemed to cool her off. She kept her eyes straight ahead, and refused to look at the ocean next to her.

She didn't know where she was running and she didn't know how long she would run for, but as she was running she found herself back on the main road by her house. Annabeth loved to run, and she loved the feeling of the wind in her hair.

For a moment, and only a moment, she completely forgot about the move, but she was stopped abruptly when she found herself back at the dirt path in the back of her house.

She stopped her running, and slowed down to a brisk walk while breathing heavily from her jog. She continued walking along the path until she reached the blue pond, and there Percy was sitting on the same rock he was on yesterday.

"You must've really missed me," he chuckled while keeping his eyes on the water once again. Annabeth frowned, and crossed her arms over her chest. He always seemed to know when she was coming.

"I went for a jog for your information," she said.

"I mean I know I'm good looking, but you must really think so if you ran all the way here," Percy chided and flashed her a grin to which she rolled her eyes at.

"Yeah, okay," she said, making sure to put emphasis on her sarcasm. Her eyes fell on Percy's feet again and noticed that he was barefoot once more.

"How come you don't wear shoes?" she asked, but instantly regretted saying it, because it could be offensive. She didn't know what went on in his life, and she felt rude for intruding like that. But Percy didn't seem to take offense, instead he found humor in her question, as if it was some sort of inside joke that Annabeth didn't know about.

"I like to walk on the beach," he said nonchalantly, "and I'd rather not get sand in my shoes."

His eyes instantly shot to Annabeth's sneakers which were covered in sand from her run on the beach. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment, but she just shook her head and sat down on the rock that she sat on the day before.

"You disappeared yesterday," Annabeth pointed out, "where'd you go?"

"Look at you being all personal," Percy chuckled, "you must really be into me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Lower your ego," she chided, "I'm just a very observant person."

Percy laughed, and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he did so.

"If you're really interested, I also like to run," he said, "so that's what I did."

Annabeth didn't say anything for a moment, but only let her eyes linger on the boy in front of her. There was something different about him, and she didn't know what it was, but she liked it.

"Since you're so interested in my life," Percy said, "I want to get interested in yours. Let's play 20 questions."

Annabeth almost laughed at that remark, but she figured she had nothing better to do, so she obliged.

"Alright, any siblings?" Annabeth asked, and Percy seemed to think for a moment, as if he was counting in his head.

"Two brothers," he said finally, "what about you?"

"Same," Annabeth said, "well, they're my stepbrothers, but they're just as annoying."

Percy laughed at this, and Annabeth seemed to really like his laugh. It was nothing like she had ever heard before, and it seemed to be contagious because every time he laughed, she resisted the urge to do so herself.

"Both of my brothers are half-brothers," he said, "same dad, different mom."

"Do you live with your dad?" Annabeth asked, hoping that she wasn't being too personal, but Percy didn't seem to care. It was like he had no boundaries.

"Yeah," he answered, "and my birth mother. My half-brothers live with us."

The two sat in silence for a moment, until Percy flashed Annabeth another pearly white grin.

"Alright, next question; what's your favorite color?" he asked, and Annabeth snorted.

"That's such a basic question," she said, and Percy rolled his eyes.

"Just answer it."

"Okay, okay," Annabeth said, "I'd say silver."

"That's not a color," Percy protested with a slight chuckle and Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him.

"It is too," she said, but Percy shook his head, with a smile.

"Is it on the color wheel? No," he said and crossed his arms over his chest, while giving Annabeth a look that said; _I'm right and you're wrong._

Annabeth rolled her eyes and stared him right back.

"What are you, some sort of art expert?"

"I'd consider myself one, yes," Percy said with a grin, and Annabeth shook her head.

"Well what's _your _favorite color?" she asked while raising an eyebrow at the mischevious boy in front of her. Percy grinned and his eyes flashed down at the pond.

"Blue, definitely," he said, "like the water."

Annabeth felt a bubble of anxiety build up in her chest at these words. It's not that she had anything against the color blue, but just the thought of large bodies of water. She felt her mind go elsewhere, and she took a deep breath to compose herself.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked while looking at her with concern, "are you okay?"

Annabeth forced a smile, and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry," she said, "okay, let's continue. Favorite sport?"

"Swimming," Percy answered almost instantly as if he didn't even have to think about it. This answer made Annabeth somewhat disappointed. Not that she cared what his favorite sport was, but she was thinking maybe deep down that they could become friends, but he obviously seemed to love water, and since she was the exact opposite, she didn't know what she thought.

"Mine is archery," Annabeth said, and Percy seemed to take interest in this answer.

"Archery huh?" he asked, and Annabeth nodded.

"That's interesting," he said, and Annabeth laughed lightly.

**Percy**

Percy smiled as he stared at the girl across from him. He had to admit; she was beautiful. Although he had only met her the day before, he didn't see her like all of the other girls he's ever been associated with.

He warned himself, not to get too attached to this girl. He wanted to keep their boundaries strictly as acquaintances, seeing as the last time he got too close to a mortal girl, well it didn't end pretty.

He was a little irritated that someone else knew about his pond, seeing as it literally _was _his pond, granted to him by his father, but since it was Annabeth, he didn't seem to mind. She wasn't like the others, and she interested him.

Percy glanced at the sunrise, and took a deep breath. He knew he had to be home around noon for a family dinner with his soon-to-be wife's family, and the thought was making him dread it. He'd rather stay here and talk with Annabeth, but no, he had to head back.

"Percy?" Annabeth's voice rang, breaking him of his thoughts, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Percy said with a grin, "just thinking, sorry."

Annabeth gave him a skeptical look, before asking him the next question.

"Favorite animal?" she asked, and Percy snorted.

"And you said I was basic?"

"You are."

"Rude."

Annabeth laughed, and Percy couldn't force down the smile that made its way onto his face.

"Just answer the question," Annabeth said while rolling her eyes.

"Don't be pushy," Percy grinned, and Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him as if to say; _Get on with it_.

"Alright, I'd have to say mine is a horse," Percy said, "or even a seahorse."

Percy thought of his seahorse back at home; Blackjack. He had grown up with Blackjack, and they had a bond that was practically inseperable by now. Of course he couldn't tell Annabeth that, or else she'd think he was crazy.

"A seahorse?" Annabeth asked incredeously, "I wouldn't count that as an animal."

"What would you count that as?" Percy remarked while crossing his arms over his chest.

"A fish," Annabeth said with a shrug, and Percy resisted the urge to correct her. Most humans knew about seahorses as small little animals, but the seahorses that Percy's family owned back home were rivals to the same size as a regular horse.

"Alright, well then horses," Percy said, settling for his second best, "what about you?"

"An owl," Annabeth answered almost instantly. Percy couldn't help but make the resemblance between Annabeth's eyes and those of an owl's, and he felt himself grin.

The sun was beating down on Percy's back by now, and he glanced up towards the sky that was becoming less pink, but bluer. He let out a sigh, and knew that he would have to leave soon. By the time it took him to swim all the way home, he would be late to the dinner.

It wasn't bad enough his parents were already mad at him for leaving so often, but he couldn't show up late to this dinner.

He stood up and grinned at Annabeth.

"It's been nice talking to you, Annie," he said with a grin, "but I must be going."

Annabeth didn't seem to appreciate the nickname he had given her at all, and she narrowed her eyes at him in response.

"Do _not _call me Annie," she hissed, and Percy chuckled, amused with her irritation.

"You love it," he said.

"Actually I don't."

"You will."

Annabeth didn't seem to know what to say in response to this, so instead she pursed her lips together at him, and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll catch you later," Percy said, and raced towards the beach. He took a deep breath, dreading what he was going to have to go through when he got back to his house in Atlantis, but he knew he would rather be there than be blasted to bits by his father.

He glanced back to make sure Annabeth hadn't followed him, and then dove into the water.

**Annabeth**

Annabeth didn't want to admit that she was disappointed when Percy said he had to leave, but she was reassured when he left with the words "I'll see you later".

That reinforced that he would be back, and she would have to be alone. She took a deep breath once he was gone, and stared at the clear blue water beneath her. She was hoping that she would make a friend in Percy, no matter how _irritating _he could be, but maybe if they became good friends over the summer, she wouldn't have to head into a new school all alone.

She smiled to herself when she thought back on their conversation, and headed back to her house to take a shower.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it! What do you think is going to happen next?<strong>

**Thanks for reading! xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry for not updating in forever!**

**I was extremely busy with school and my other stories and I'm disappointed in myself because I really enjoy writing this but anyways- I'm sorry. **

**I hope you like this chapter, it's a Percy one!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Percy**

Bubbles formed around Percy's body as a tail took the place of where his legs once were. He grinned to himself before looking back at the shore that was a good ten feet away from where he was standing. He could see Annabeth's house towering over the beach, and his eyes lingered on it for a moment before he dove under the waves.

The water was chilly, but Percy knew that it was only like that near the surface. He kicked his sea-green tail, and sent himself flying forward. Fish from all over greeted him with warm hellos, some even bowing in respect to him. Percy just smiled and waved back, used to the routine by now.

He could hear some of the fishes' thoughts in his head, and he smiled at some of them being amusingly comical.

"_You're Majesty! What a lovely day we're having!"_

"_Prince Perseus! Are you excited for the royal dinner?"_

"_If you ever need someone to rant about your future wife, I'm here!"_

Percy chuckled and nodded respectfully towards the fish, dolphins, and even passing sharks as he swam by. Some of them just understood the predicament he was in.

He hated to admit it, but Annabeth was stuck on his brain like a sea urchin was to coral. He couldn't shake her from his mind, and every time he closed his eyes he could picture her blonde princess curls and her grey eyes that seemed to analyze every little detail.

_Stop it, Percy_, he warned himself, _remember what happened last time you fell for a mortal?_

Percy shuddered, and tried to shake the memories from his mind, hoping that they wouldn't torment him like the usually did. He took a shaky breath, some bubbles coming out of his mouth as he did so, and continued on his way back to the kingdom.

He looked up at the waves far above him, and saw the sun shimmering into the ocean. As Percy grew closer to the kingdom, he could feel his father's magic becoming more present, almost like a magnet pulling him in. His father, Poseidon, kept strong magic around the borders of Atlantis, wanting to keep it completely safe of any predators. He also wanted to keep Percy in the boundaries, since his son liked to wander.

Especially to the mortal world.

Percy sighed as he greeted the guards that stood in front of the large gates made out of every different color of coral. They bowed their heads respectfully before opening the doors, and allowing Percy to enter the kingdom. He sighed once he was inside and the gates closed behind him with a loud _bang_.

He glanced up at the surface of the ocean which was many miles away, since Atlantis was at the very bottom of the ocean. He sighed in distaste at his father's boundaries that kept not only the citizens, but more importantly; Percy, from swimming upwards and over the walls. His magic was like a dome, keeping predators out, and the citizens (aka Percy) in.

Percy was greeted on the cobblestone streets of his kingdom and he smiled kindly to the citizens, more importantly; his soon-to-be citizens. He shuddered at the thought of being king, and he felt like his whole world was spinning at the thought.

He glanced at the clock tower that stood tall in the middle of the square, and let out a string of curses under his breath that would make a pirate blush. It was five minutes until noon, which meant that he had five minutes to get to the palace before his parents figured that he had left to the mortal world again.

He raced towards the palace, making his way up the stairs and passed the guards. He pushed open the two very large doors made completely of marble and embedded in gold. When he was younger, he used to feel like the doors were made for those of a giant, and he liked to play Jake and the Bean Stock with his cousins, but now whenever he looked at those doors, he felt bored and trapped.

"Percy!" he was greeted by his cousin, Jason, who was standing right behind the doors as if he was sent on Percy-watch to bring him directly to his father when he got there.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm late," Percy grumbled and swam past Jason, who went to catch up with him, his sky-blue tail flapping nervously behind him.

"Yeah you are, but you also need to get dressed," Jason said warily as if he knew the type of trouble Percy was in. It's not like Percy didn't know already, this was a daily thing, and it was just different this time because he was supposed to be meeting with his future-wife's family for lunch.

"Dressed?" Percy questioned, and then he groaned. His parents always made him dress in the finest robes, and embedded with shells only found in certain seas like the Mediterranean or the Caspian. He hated wearing it, it made him feel like a spoiled brat.

"Come on," Jason ordered, ushering his cousin up the stairs made of marble to his bedroom.

Percy groaned when his thoughts were confirmed and the dark blue shirt was laid out on his large bed. He glanced at Jason and noticed that he was wearing a shirt similar to Percy's only his was white. His blond hair swayed around his face as he waited for Percy to change.

"The more time you waste, the more time your parents are going to take to yell at you," Jason commented, and Percy rolled his eyes before slipping the fancy shirt over his head, cringing slightly as he did so.

"Okay, let's go," Percy said and tried to swim past Jason, but he put his hand out and stopped him.

"Not so fast. Your mother said to make sure that you polished your tail and combed your hair as well."

This time Percy was ready to just give up. He only polished his tail if they were to go to a wedding of a royal in another kingdom, or if there was a ball, which there rarely was.

"Are you serious?" he whined, and Jason crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hurry up. This dinner is important, you're meeting the royal family of Ogygia and you have to be there," Jason scolded as if he were chiding a young child. Percy rolled his eyes and grabbed a comb while lazily combing his hair, not really caring how he looked, but only to please Jason.

"I don't even get why I have to do this," Percy grumbled, "I don't even want to marry her."

"You don't even know her," Jason said.

"Exactly!" Percy protested, dropping the comb he was using and letting it float slowly back down onto his dresser made completely out of shells. Jason sighed and swam over to Percy, while placing his hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"Just try to talk to her, maybe you'll like her," he said, and Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes before he and Jason left to head to the dining room where his torture was to begin.

He didn't even polish his tail.

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><p>The large doors leading into the dining room towered over Percy as if they were saying: <em>Here's your last chance to turn back<em>.

But Percy knew that the only way to get through this quickly was to actually go or else his parents would most likely disown him. Jason was by Percy's side, and he nodded to Percy curtly, as if to say that it was time to go in. Percy sighed, expecting his father's raging wrath to come as soon as he opened the doors.

The doors opened slowly, like the intro to a dramatic movie scene, and Percy took in his surroundings. His father sat at the head of the table, as he usually did, with his mother at his right side, and an empty seat for Percy to sit. His father's dark black hair similar to his own was brushed back, resisting the urges the water was trying to make his hair float around his face like it would any other person; or in this case, mortals. His trident was held firmly in his right hand, and his sea-green eyes flickered as they fell on Percy. Percy would have gulped, but he pushed it back, not wanting to show himself as weak in front of his father.

His mother sat to Poseidon's right, looking as beautiful as ever. Her light brown hair was curled in ringlets around her face, falling gracefully onto her shoulders. Her brown eyes glowed with happiness when she saw Percy, and Percy swear he saw a little bit of relief in them. Had she thought he wouldn't come home?

Percy floated over to his seat, and sat down quietly, much to his surprise, not receiving any yelling from his father, but he expected it to come later.

"Perseus," his father spoke, his voice loud and powerful, echoing off of the marble walls. Percy watched as Jason sat down next to his sister Thalia, and he nodded encouragingly at Percy.

"So glad you could join us," Poseidon said, and Percy could swear he heard a hint of sarcasm in his father's voice.

"Always a pleasure, Father," Percy said, hinting at a little bit of sarcasm of his own. His father's eyes lingered on Percy as if to send a warning for him to shut his trap or to be blasted to bits.

"Percy, I'd like to introduce you to the royal family of the kingdom Ogygia," his mother said kindly, interrupting the impending argument between Percy and Poseidon. Percy looked down the table, and took this time to take in who else was around the large table.

Zeus, king of Olympus, the kingdom next to Atlantis, and also Percy's uncle, sat at the head of the table opposite Poseidon, with his wife Hera to his right. Thalia was sitting across from her step-mother, with Jason next to her.

Next to Percy was Grover, head of the nature department of Atlantis and was in charge in keeping everything clean for the citizens, surprisingly a very big deal in Atlantis and Poseidon greatly respected Grover. He was also Percy's best friend, and Percy was relieved to see that that was who he was seated next to for the evening.

Next his eyes fell on the family that was unfamiliar to Percy, whom he assumed was the royal family of Ogygia. A tall man was seated at the center of the table. He had a strong build and sat up so perfectly straight Percy half-expected him to have a pole up his back like a puppet. He had dark hair, similar to Poseidon's, but this man's hair seemed to be tinted a dark blue. It was cut short, similar to an army cut, and his eyes were a dark stormy blue, like the sky right before a storm. Percy couldn't see what color tail he had, seeing as it was under the table, but the man was dressed in a dark suit with a blue tie. He had a cold stare, and he gave Percy a glare, which Percy greatly did not appreciate.

Next to him on his right was a woman, a beautiful woman. She had light brown hair, similar to Percy's mother's, but her gaze was hard, much unlike Percy's mother. Her eyes were the color of lilac, and her complexion was pale. She had a flowing white blouse that moved slowly around the water that circled her. She was also giving Percy a glare, and Percy gulped down his nerves. He must have set them off by coming late.

On the other side of the tall man was a girl. She had caramel colored hair that was pulled over her shoulder in a loosely tied braid. She a gold head piece around her caramel hair, and her eyes were a kind brown. She also had a white blouse, a little similar to her mother's, but Percy thought she wore it better. When Percy's eyes landed on her, she smiled a little bit, and the small gesture made Percy's nerves lessen.

Everyone else around the table were either nobles or important figures in his father's legislature. Percy recognized a few, some consisted of Ares, leader of Atlantis's army, and Aphrodite, the fairest maiden in all of the kingdoms combined, but also head of relations and affairs with other kingdoms. She smiled warmly at Percy, and he returned the gesture.

Percy noticed other figures, such as Hades and his wife Persephone, both heads of the royal tombs, of which Percy liked to stay far away from. He didn't necessarily want to walk in the tombs of his ancestors.

Next was Demeter, Persephone's mother, and head of the royal gardens. She and Grover worked a lot together, making sure the environment was as clean as it could be. A few years back, an outbreak broke in the water, contaminating the city and many people died from the outbreak. Thanks to the two of them, they fixed the problem and with the help of Apollo, the best doctor in the land, they found a cure.

Percy remembers being evacuated during that time, and he shuddered at the thought, not wanting to go back to those memories.

Percy noticed Dionysus, who was in charge of all of the adolescents, he was pretty much like the police officer of the kingdom, and making sure the kids were in school and such and not goofing off. Percy really just saw him as a big old drunk.

"This is King Atlas," Poseidon said, interrupting Percy's thoughts. His father gestured towards the man that sat up straight and gave Percy a glare that could kill. Percy bowed his head respectfully despite the intimidating glare.

"And his wife, Queen Tethys," Poseidon said, gesturing towards the woman with the lilac eyes who was glaring rather angrily at Percy. Percy managed a weak smile, and bowed his head once again respectfully to her.

"And their daughter, Princess Calypso."

Percy stared at the girl with the almond colored eyes, and he smiled a bit, to which she returned.

"Your future wife."

Percy froze. He almost forgot. He was supposed to marry this girl, and although she was pretty, Percy didn't know her at all. How was he supposed to marry someone he didn't even know, or more importantly, love?

He glanced at his parents, and noticed that Poseidon and Sally's hands were intertwined on top of the table. His parents had fallen in love before they got married, so why didn't Percy get to?

He forced another weak smile at Calypso, but now he really didn't feel like eating, even when the servants brought out all of the wonderful food for them to eat. Percy, having the large appetite that he usually had, felt sick to his stomach. The assortment of salads, and lobster, and other sorts of delicacies sat in front of him, taunting him to eat them, but the thought made Percy sick.

He played with the salad on his plate, tossing around some of the lettuce with his fork, barely even taking a bite. Poseidon and Atlas were talking, mostly about diplomatic terms, and Percy noticed that Calypso was sneaking glances at him throughout the entire lunch.

"Perce," Grover whispered to Percy halfway through the lunch. Percy looked to his best friend, his ears raised.

"Your dad is going to squish you with his trident if you don't eat something," Grover mumbled, and Percy glanced at his dad. Sure enough his sea-green eyes were glaring so intensely at Percy that he was worried that laser beams would come shooting out of them. Percy glanced down at his untouched plate of food and instantly shoved a lobster tail in his mouth. Politely of course.

Poseidon grinned when his son started eating, but it was forced. Percy glanced at Calypso and their eyes met for a moment. She smiled, but Percy had to manage one back. He didn't want to come off as rude, but he didn't know this girl. Let alone want to marry her.

Once lunch was finished- finally- both royal families headed into the living room to…socialize. Zeus, Hera, Thalia, and Jason joined them as well, which Percy was grateful for.

He couldn't help but think of Annabeth during the whole time, even with Calypso sitting next to him. Percy noticed that her tail was a light lilac, similar to her mother's eyes. Her father's tail was a dark navy blue, and her mother's was a deep purple.

"Oh look at you two," Percy's mother gushed at the two teenagers. Percy felt his cheeks color when everyone looked at the couple-to-be, and he had to force back a snippy remark.

"They will be a wonderful couple," Tethys said, and smiled at Sally, who returned it.

"Rulers of the century," Poseidon mused, a proud grin on his face, and Percy wished that he could be back at the pond with Annabeth. He wondered what she would think of all of this. She'd probably think it's crazy.

_Stop it, Percy!_ He scolded himself, and chewed on his bottom lip to give his mind something else to focus on other than the blonde girl that he's known for approximately two days.

"Why don't you two go get acquainted while we freshen up?" Sally asked the two, and Percy glanced at Jason and Thalia nervously, hoping that they'd intervene or something. They gave him a look as if to say: _You're screwed, man_.

Percy would have to "thank" them later.

"Perseus," Poseidon growled low enough for only Percy to hear, "be a gentleman, and show Calypso around."

Percy nodded, and stood up, holding out his hand for Calypso.

"Would you like to join me for a walk?" Percy asked, trying to be as polite as possible, but hating every moment of it. He glanced at his father, and Poseidon nodded with approval. Calypso smiled sweetly and took Percy's hand before he helped her to her feet- or tail in their case.

Percy glanced back at the living room as the parents dispersed among the living room, and Jason and Thalia both gave him a thumbs up, with huge grins on their face. It's like they were amused at this whole situation. Percy glared at them, and rolled his eyes before turning around, and swam next to Calypso. He was a good three inches taller than her as they swam.

"So," Percy started, trying to break the awkward silence while they walked through the palace towards the gardens, "Do you like it here?"

"Look, I'm no happier about this than you are," Calypso said suddenly, surprising Percy suddenly. He had expected her to be quiet and sweet the whole time, but she came off more abrupt than Percy had expected.

He liked it better than what he was expecting. It made it less awkward.

"You're not?" Percy asked incredulously. Calypso nodded and starting ringing her fingers together as if she was nervous.

"My parents think that this marriage while bring our kingdoms together as one strong empire," Calypso muttered, and Percy nodded. He had heard his parents say that plenty of times.

"_But Percy this is for the greater good!"_

"_You will be doing your citizens a favor!" _

"_Our empire will be rich beyond compare!"_

Blah, blah, blah.

"Tell me about it," Percy grumbled, and Calypso smiled lightly, a playful smile danced along her lips.

"Have you ever been in love, Perseus?" Calypso asked suddenly, her eyes turning sad, and her smile disappeared from her lips.

"Percy," Percy corrected, "and I have."

His heart ached at the memory, but he decided to push it to the back of his mind, not wanting to think of…_those _memories. They were too painful. A sad smile came upon Calypso's face, and she let out a sigh that was so heartbreaking it almost made Percy want to give her a hug.

"Percy," she said, "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"I am in love," Calypso said, "and as I'm sure you are a wonderful person, I am not in love with you."

Percy laughed lightly, and Calypso stared at him as if he was crazy, but then she herself started laughing as well. When they both stopped, Percy stared at her, as she opened her mouth to continue.

"If you have been in love, like you say you have, you know that when you see that person, they take your breath away, and they make you contemplate on how you could have ever lived your life as long as you did before you met them. They make you hurt ten times more than you ever thought was possible, but they make you love thousands times more than you ever thought could be true. That's how I feel whenever I see the person I love," Calypso said, and Percy could sense the sadness in her voice, just like how he had been when…it happened.

"I know what you mean," Percy whispered, "about the pain."

Calypso looked at him, her eyes large in curiosity.

"Do tell," she said, "only if you wish to tell."

Percy took a shaky breath. He hadn't really talked about Rachel for a long time, and he didn't really think he wanted to, but when he looked at Calypso, her kind smile, and her warm eyes, he felt like he could.

"I made the mistake of falling in love with a mortal," Percy explained, "she lived on the beach, and I used to visit her all of the time. We knew it would never work out, but I was determined to try. That was my mistake. It would never work, and I should have realized that before I put her life in danger."

"What happened?" Calypso asked gently, not out of curiosity, but out of concern.

"She wanted to come with me. She wanted to come to Atlantis and be changed into a mermaid and we could live together happily ever after, but it wasn't that easy. My father didn't like the idea of me in love with a mortal. So as soon as she stepped into the ocean…she drowned," Percy spoke softly, his voice shaking with every word, and every memory of what happened two years ago. He hadn't spoken to his father for a whole year, and to this day he resents speaking to him.

Calypso surprised him with her arms around Percy's torso, hugging him.

"I'm so sorry, Percy," she said softly. Percy blinked back the tears and hugged her back.

"If it's any condolence," Calypso spoke after pulling away, "my father hates the boy I love as well."

"What's he like?" Percy asked, "The boy, I mean. Not your father."

Calypso laughed lightly before getting a faraway look in her eyes like she was somewhere else, and she wasn't really in this palace with Percy. It was like she was imaging her life with that boy, and Percy sighed softly.

"His name is Leo," Calypso explained, "he lives here, in Atlantis, but he is a peasant boy. My father refuses to allow me to marry anyone other than royalty, so it is dangerous for Leo and me to meet, seeing as I am afraid that my father will hurt him."

"Wait," Percy said, his ears perking up at Leo's name, "Leo Valdez?"

Calypso's eyes brightened at the mention of his name and she nodded quickly.

"I happened to know him," Percy said while grinning, "Being prince of Atlantis comes with its perks. I can be friends with everyone in the kingdom, and my parents don't mind because they said it's 'good publicity'. Whatever. He and a few others are good friends of mine."

Calypso smiled so brightly that Percy thought she was going to burst.

"Why did he never mention you?" Percy asked, thinking back to all of the times he and Jason have teased their friend about not finding a girl. He had only smiled and shrugged them off.

"Probably out of fear," Calypso said, the sad look casted over her eyes again as the pair walked aimlessly off towards the gardens, "he is afraid to speak of me, for the threat of my father or anyone else finding out. Please don't tell anyone, Percy."

Calypso looked at him, pleading, and Percy nodded. He could never intentionally hurt someone like that. Like Rachel…

_Stop it_. He scolds himself for thinking of her again, her fiery red hair, and her freckles that always covered her nose like a splash of paint. She loved to paint. Percy remembered the picture that she painted of him once, and he smiled sadly at the memory.

"You have my word," Percy promised Calypso and she smiled gratefully.

"Now," Percy said, "instead of this walk, why don't we go see Leo?"

Calypso brightened, and nodded vigorously, before Percy led her through the gardens and towards the secret spot he had made when he was younger to get out of the palace whenever he wanted.

He led Calypso to it, and once they were free, they headed towards the neighborhoods to find Leo.

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><p><strong>So this was a long chapter. <strong>

**But I hoped you liked it. I'll give you guys a double update, considering that I haven't updated in a month and I'm very very sorry!**

**By the way, this is a Percabeth story, so don't worry. Obviously there's Caleo as well. And I added Rachel in there because I don't like how everyone always depicts her as a bitch in every story, like she's not that bad in the books, I actually like her.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**The next chapter should be up as well so go read!**

**Thanks for reading xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	5. Chapter 5

**I promised a double update today so here it is!**

**You have a Percy chapter and a little bit of Annabeth at the end, but hopefully you like it! Don't worry, Percabeth is coming very, very soon wink wink. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Percy**

Calypso was practically shaking with excitement as Percy led her through the back routes towards where Leo's house was. He had done this route so many times that he could do it in his sleep, and it was even more amusing to see Calypso giggling like a little school-girl.

He wondered how they had met, seeing as Ogygia was a kingdom very far from Atlantis, at least a three day journey, and Percy wondered when they would meet, but he figured those were questions for later.

"This way," Percy instructed, leading her through some of the coral forests and towards the small houses that stood off in the distance. Percy could practically see Leo's bright green tail from here, and his laugh was even more evident, seeing as he wasn't exactly quiet.

As they swam closer, Percy noticed that he was with Piper McLean, Aphrodite's daughter, and also girlfriend of Jason. Percy was jealous of their relationship, seeing as since Jason had fallen in love before he turned sixteen, he was allowed to marry Piper when they became eighteen, and he didn't have to have an arranged marriage, unlike Percy.

Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque also stood by, all of them smiling and talking. As Percy and Calypso came closer Percy noticed Calypso start to pick up speed in her swimming.

"Leo!" she cried, and the brunet boy turned at the call of his name. His eyes lit up in a way Percy has never seen them before, and raced to meet Calypso.

"Calypso!" he cried and embraced her in a large hug, the two of them practically crushing the other. When Leo pulled away, he grasped Calypso's face in his hands, and Percy could see tears glistening in his eyes.

"What are you- How- Where-"

"Percy brought me," Calypso said, also through happy tears. Percy smiled at the scene and when Leo looked towards his friend, Percy gave him a slight wave. Leo grinned, and Percy knew that he would thank him later. Now was their time alone, so right when Leo kissed Calypso, rather passionately as well, Percy headed over to the others.

Piper, Frank, and Hazel's mouths were all agape at the scene in front of them.

"Shocking right," Percy said, speaking the thoughts they were all thinking.

"That's an understatement," Piper replied, still obviously shocked that Leo had this secret girlfriend that he had been hiding from them for gods know how long. Percy smiled lightly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Shouldn't you be at that fancy dinner?" Hazel asked, raising an eyebrow at Percy. Of course she would know, Hades was attending it and he was her father.

"I was," Percy said, "but my mom told me and Calypso to 'get to know each other better' and that's when I found out she's in love with Leo. So I brought her here."

"Wait," Frank said, "Calypso is your-"

"Fiancée," Percy grumbled, looking over at the couple who was too busy crying and kissing each other to notice the others standing nearby.

"Does Leo know?" Piper asked, and Percy shrugged.

"I don't know," he said solemnly, not exactly sure how to get out of the predicament he had just realized he was in. One of his good friends was in love with Percy's fiancée, how was he supposed to bring that up?

"Neither Calypso nor I want to get married," Percy explained, "It's our parents that are the problem."

"Aren't parents always the problem?" Hazel grumbled, her golden tail swaying lightly beneath her in annoyance, and Percy grinned.

"That's very true."

"Is there any way for you to get out of the arrangement?" Piper asked curiously, and Percy glanced back over at the couple one more time before turning back to the girl with the choppy hair and the braids hanging from it.

"I don't know," Percy said, "my dad is pretty mad at me as it is."

"Speaking of which," Frank says suddenly, bringing attention to him. His red tail swatted away a few small fish which were acting like flies around him.

"Where have you been off to?" Frank questioned accusingly towards Percy. Percy's cheeks flushed and he suddenly became very interested in his tail. Annabeth popped into his mind, and he let out a breath. With all of the luck in the world, this is what he got.

He wasn't falling for her, no, he barely even knew her, but there was something about her that just sparked an interest in him. She was different, not just because she was mortal, but the way she saw the world was just different.

He knew it was a dangerous game he was playing, but if he managed to stay just friends with her, what could the harm be in that?

"Nowhere," Percy said with a shrug.

"Manatee crap," Piper said, with a playful grin dancing on her lips. Percy almost laughed at the remark, seeing as he had spent so much time in the mortal world, he now realized the strangeness of that saying. In the mortal world, they say "Bull crap" which Percy thought was the strangest thing. He has seen a bull and he just wonders how those big creatures can stand on those small legs…

Weird.

But in the ocean, manatees were their type of…_bull_ if you will, and Percy laughed at the comparison that came into his head of a bull and a manatee but he pushed it to the back of his brain.

"I always leave," Percy said, "you know I love the mortal world, why is it a surprise now?"

"Because you have a glint in your eyes," Hazel said, squinting her own as if she was analyzing Percy, "you met someone."

"I did not!" Percy protested, pushing the images of Annabeth and her know-it-all look to the back of his brain. He wasn't going to make the same mistake that he had made with Rachel. Strictly an acquaintance relationship. He figured that if they became friends that would even be pushing it.

"Doubtful," Piper said while crossing her arms over her chest. Her kaleidoscope eyes darted back and forth between Percy, Frank, and Hazel. Before Percy could protest even more, Jason came swimming towards them.

"Percy!" he scolded, "You're making my job so much harder than it needs to be!"

Percy felt bad for making his cousin chase him around like he did, but he couldn't force down the playful smile that danced on his lips.

"Sorry Jace."

"Hey Pipes," Jason greeted his girlfriend with a chaste kiss on the lips, and Percy scowled at them, earning a playful laugh from the both of them.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Jason promised her, "After I deal with my idiotic cousin over here."

"Hey!" Percy protested, and Jason rolled his eyes at him.

"Let's go, Sea Boy," Jason said while grabbing Percy's wrist, "You too Calypso! You can kiss Leo later!"

Percy glanced over at the couple, who hadn't even left each other's embrace for the whole time, and have even gotten closer to each other, if that's possible. Calypso and Leo looked disappointed, but Calypso gave Leo one last kiss before reluctantly pulling away, never letting her gaze leave him.

"You're not even going to ask how they got together?" Percy asked Jason in a hushed tone before Calypso swam closer to them. Jason hadn't even seemed the least bit surprised that Leo and Calypso were practically eating their faces off. A mischievous glint came into Jason's eyes, and Percy frowned at him.

"He told me. A while ago actually," Jason said casually, and ushered Percy and Calypso to hurry back to the palace before the royals grew suspicious. Percy's jaw dropped slightly at his cousin, who only laughed it off before the trio swam-quickly- back to the palace.

* * *

><p><strong>Annabeth<strong>

Annabeth had to admit; she was bored.

It was almost six now, and the sun was slowly starting to lower in the sky, creating an orange glow over the sky. She kept staring out her back window at the dirt path that led to the pond, and wondered if Percy was there…

Annabeth glanced around her cluttered room. The boxes still needed to be unpacked, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She didn't want this move to be as permanent as it already was in her mind, and she was clinging onto that last hope that it wouldn't be real and that she would wake up back in San Francisco.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

She sat down on her bed with a defeated grunt, and laid back so she was staring up at the ceiling. The sun poured light through the windows, and Annabeth had to admit; she wished Percy was here because as annoying as he was, he had kept her from losing her mind.

She felt silly, thinking of a boy that she barely knew, but he had been the first person she's actually had a conversation with upon being here. That including her parents and her step-brothers. Her brothers loved the fact that they lived right on the beach and that there was a park down the street for them to play in, and her step-mother was still trying to get the house together.

As for her father, he was busy working at his new job, and Annabeth rarely saw him, which made her sad.

She hadn't even realized she was crying, until a teardrop fell from her eye and onto her hand as she lay curled up on her silver comforter. She took a shaky breath, hoping to stop the tears, but once they started they wouldn't stop.

She felt…alone, and she wished that she had a friend with her now more than ever. She wanted to talk to Percy, despite his arrogance.

She didn't even want to think about going to school when the fall came around. She wasn't concerned about her grades, or how she would do in her classes, that was the easy part of it all, but she was worried about how she was going to create her social life from scratch. She had had a pretty successful one back in San Francisco.

She sighed, and wiped the tears furiously from her eyes before her eyelids became heavy with exhaustion. She glanced at the digital clock next to her bed. It was only 6:45, but she didn't care. Her eyelids grew heavier with the second, and before she knew it, she was engulfed in a peaceful sleep of good grades and San Francisco.

When Annabeth woke up, the sky was dark.

She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was nearly nine by now. She could hear the soft chirps of the crickets outside, and the soft waves outside would have lulled anyone else to sleep.

Annabeth yawned and sat up, stretching her arms and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She wasn't a huge fan of nap, since she usually felt groggy after them, but right now she didn't care. She stood up, and padded over to her balcony. Her room was becoming stuffy from the humid air, and she decided to get some fresh air.

She opened the doors, swinging them back so she could step outside.

She was surprised to see a boy sitting on the beach below her. His bare back was to Annabeth, but she could tell by the jet black hair that sat messily on top of his head.

"Percy?" she called, and the boy turned at the mention of his name. He looked up and grinned at Annabeth cheekily.

"Hey Blondie," he called. Annabeth rolled her eyes at the nickname, strongly disliking it, but not saying it out loud.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and Percy grinned once more. She could even see the dimple on his cheek from here.

"Waiting for you, of course," he said in a very fake, very awful English accent, which causing her to stifle her laughter. She couldn't hold back the butterflies that let loose in her stomach, but she managed to keep that part hidden. She raised an eyebrow at Percy as he stood, and noticed that he was only wearing a pair of sea-green basketball shorts. His chest was bare, and his feet, as usual, were bare.

"Why?" she questioned, and she could see Percy roll his eyes from where she was.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart, Blondie."

"Don't call me, Blondie," Annabeth hissed, which only caused Percy to laugh. It's like he took pleasure in her irritation.

"Will you just come down here?" he asked, and Annabeth couldn't suppress the smile that made its way onto her face.

"One second," she called before closing the balcony doors and slipping on a pair of her flip-flops. She was in a tank top and jean shorts, and her hair was down which was unusual from her traditional ponytail, but at this point, she didn't really care.

She made sure to be quiet as she made her way downstairs, and out the door.

Percy was drawing in the sand when Annabeth made her way over to him, her feet sinking slightly in the warm sand.

"What are you doing?" she asked incredulously when she reached Percy. He was drawing a stick figure in the sand with a mean expression on its face.

"I need to let my anger out," Percy mumbled before standing up. Annabeth didn't know what he meant by that until he started kicking and stomping on the stick figure until it was nothing but a dent in the sand. Annabeth watched in curiosity, and amazement as he destroyed the stick figure completely.

When he was done, he let out a breath and looked up at Annabeth before letting out a slight grin.

"Sorry," he said, "just had to get that out."

"Who was that supposed to be?" Annabeth asked gently, and Percy sat back down on the sad, the moonlight above causing his skin to almost glow. Annabeth took a seat next to him, and slipped off her flip-flops while placing them next to her.

"My dad," Percy grumbled, obviously a sour subject with him. Annabeth wanted to ask what happened, but she didn't want to pry. She remembered their game of twenty questions that morning, and she realized that this boy barely had any boundaries.

"What happened?" she asked, and Percy sighed while running a hand through his already messy hair.

"He's just a jerk," Percy said simply, "he wants to control my every move, and I can't be the perfect son he wants me to be."

Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip as she thought of what to say. She didn't know what Percy's dad was like, and she barely knew what Percy was like for that matter, except that he was impulsive, and annoying, and arrogant, and obnoxious and- well the list goes on.

"I'm sorry," was the incredible response that she came up with, and Percy flashed her a lopsided grin.

"It's not your fault, Blondie," he said.

"Stop calling me that," she muttered, and Percy looked at her with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Well then what would you like to be called?" he questioned, and Annabeth glanced at him.

"My name would be preferable."

"Okay, so Blondie."

"That's _not _my name."

"I think it suits you."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him, trying to come up with a better response, but the look he was giving her made her just groan in annoyance.

"Annabeth," she said, "_that's _what suits me."

"Okay, so Annie."

She groaned, louder this time, and raised her hands in exasperation.

"You're impossible," she groaned, and Percy chuckled, making Annabeth's ears perk up at the sound.

"So I've been told," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes that would have made Annabeth want to stay away from him, but there was something about him that made her want to get to know him better. Or at least, that's what she thought.

"Whatever Seaweed Brain," she mumbled, and Percy looked at her incredulously.

"What did you just call me?" he laughed, partially amused, and partially shocked at Annabeth's sudden sassy side. Annabeth just grinned, unable to hold at back from his infectious smile, and rolled her eyes.

"Every time I see you, you're by a body of water. And you act like you have nothing in your head except seaweed, so there you go. Seaweed Brain."

Percy laughed, louder this time, and Annabeth couldn't resist the laughter that made its way up to her mouth. There was something about him that was just…positive, and Annabeth needed that in her life. She needed positivity in her life.

"Alright Wise Girl," Percy said, and this time it was Annabeth's turn to give him a look.

"Excuse me?" she questioned, while raising her eyebrows at him. Percy just smirked and stood up, making Annabeth look up at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Wise Girl," Percy said, and Annabeth stood up quickly, grabbing his wrist before he could take off again. She didn't know what came over her, but as soon as she touched his wrist, she felt the butterflies explode in her stomach, causing her to grow dizzy.

"You're not just running off with a nickname like _that_," Annabeth grimaced, while letting go of his wrist. Percy just laughed, and shook his head, causing Annabeth to cross her arms at him.

"And why not?" he questioned while starting to walk away.

"Because it doesn't even make any sense!" Annabeth said, exasperated with his behavior, but the more irritated she got, the more amused Percy was.

"I think it does," Percy said with a shrug while turning to face her as he walked backwards.

"How did you even come up with it?" Annabeth groaned, and then Percy waved to her without answering her question.

"Ask me tomorrow!" and with that, he raced around the corner and disappeared into the trees.

Annabeth groaned once he was gone and grabbed her flip-flops before heading back inside, obviously annoyed with him. She was annoyed with him, yet she wanted to see him more often. If she had met someone like that back in San Francisco, she would've stayed far away, but now she was drawn to him. Like a stupid magnet or something.

She closed the front door in frustration, and headed upstairs to her room. She couldn't force back the smile that made its way onto her face.

He said he'd see her tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>Some Percabeth stuff, but they still barely know each other so I can't do that much with it. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**Review! I love reading them!**

**Thanks for reading (: xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews! You guys are amazing (:_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Percy**

Sunlight poured into the large windows in Percy's bedroom the next morning, and Percy groaned as soon as the shimmering water hit his face. He wanted to stay in bed for the next few hours, or maybe days. Yeah, days would be nice. But he knew his parents would never allow it.

He sat up and ran a hand through his dark hair before yawning. Surprisingly to him, the first thought that popped into his head was Annabeth. He hadn't expected it, but there she was with her blonde curly hair and intense grey eyes.

Percy let out a sigh and shook his head. He wasn't going to let what happened to Rachel happen to Annabeth. No way in a million years, he was going to keep it strictly friendship, and that way Poseidon had nothing to worry about. Percy still didn't know how he was supposed to get out of his marriage with Calypso, seeing as she was in love with one of his best friends, but that was another problem he would face later.

He swam out of bed, his tail flopping lazily behind him as he swam towards the windows that towered at least nine feet above him. Percy looked out at the kingdom beneath him, and let out a sigh. He knew that it was supposed to be his kingdom one day, but could he handle that much responsibility? He didn't know.

He swam away from the window, not bothering to throw on a shirt while heading out into the halls. It was quiet, and Percy figured it was probably still early, which he was grateful for. He didn't feel like dealing with his parents' nagging demands.

He swam quietly passed their room. The doors were closed, but he didn't want to risk it anyways. He never really took into account how large their palace was until now. He had been an early riser all his life, but he never really appreciated how his home really was. He was floating at the top of the double marble staircase, leading up to the second floor. He looked down the stairs, noticing that they were embedded with golden imagery that was articulately sculptured for the royal family.

As he floated down the stairs, running his hand gently along the golden railing, he noticed that the entire castle was made from marble, only the finest of course that came from the most beautiful parts of the ocean. The double staircase put Percy in the main hall. He and Jason used to always swim as fast as they could down this hall when they were younger, seeing as it was so long and wide.

This time, he floated slowly through it, looking at the artwork that was lined along the walls, and taking in every detail. He wondered why he had never looked at it before; it was beautiful.

"What are you doing?" Jason's voice rang out, breaking Percy of his thoughts. He almost jumped at his cousin's words, and Percy realized that he had floated into the kitchen aimlessly. Jason was seated at one of the counters with a mug of coffee in his hands. His blue eyes were set on Percy.

"Just taking a stroll," Percy said nonchalantly while swimming slowly over to the fruit bowl that was in the center of one of the counters and took out an apple. Yes, they had apples. There was a team of food collectors they were called, who worked for the royal family and the kingdom, by swimming to the mortal world and collecting food that became delicacies in all of the kingdoms. Apples included.

"Oh yeah?" Jason said, "Then you won't mind if I come with you."

Percy shrugged. He had nothing to hide. "Be my guest."

Jason stood, leaving his coffee on the table and swam next to Percy as the two boys left the kitchen while swimming into another marble hallway.

"So where'd you run off to last night?" Jason asked, keeping his eyes ahead of him as they swam outside. Percy glanced at his cousin, and noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes that usually wasn't there. Usually Percy was the mischievous one and Jason was the sensible one.

"Just out," Percy answered as Annabeth's face popped into his head again. Jason turned to face his cousin, a small grin pulled at his lips, and Percy just kept his eyes ahead.

"Mhm," Jason said, "so what's her name?"

Percy froze, and looked at Jason while the smile on his face grew bigger. Jason swam ahead of Percy as they made their way through the gardens and towards the stables. Percy frowned and caught up with his cousin.

"What makes you think it's a girl?" he demanded, and Jason rolled his eyes.

"Please, Percy. The last time you were this out of it was when you were seeing Rachel."

Percy felt like someone had poked his heart with a metal rod, and he winced slightly at the memories of the redheaded girl he had fallen in love with. Jason seemed to notice the sudden change in Percy's mood and he sighed.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I wasn't thinking."

"It's alright," Percy assured him while running his hand along the plants that sprouted from the ground in the garden. They were always so pretty.

_Annabeth is pretty too_. Percy scrunched up his nose at the thoughts his brain was putting in his head, wanting to erase that thought, but it was there, and he knew it was true.

"Look, I just like going to the mortal world, is that such a problem?" Percy questioned, and Jason chuckled lightly as they approached the stables.

"What's her name, Perce."

Percy sighed and shook his head at his cousin who was now grinning from ear to ear.

"Annabeth," he spoke, and he loved the way her name sounded off of his tongue. He loved the way her name sounded, and he couldn't force back the small smile that danced on his lips and made his cheeks flush.

"Hmm," Jason said as if he was contemplating the name, "I like it. What's she like?"

"Jace, we're not dating or anything, just friends. Not really even friends, acquaintances more like it. I've only talked to her a few times," Percy explained with a slight shrug and pushed the nagging thought of how pretty Annabeth was to the back of his brain.

"Alright," Jason said, as if he was finally done teasing his cousin, and a look of a new found seriousness washed over his face, "Just be careful."

Percy chuckled and nudged his cousin in the ribs with his elbow, trying to keep things lighthearted and Jason shot him a glare, although the look in his eyes was playful before he nudged Percy back.

A sudden whinny broke the impending wrestling match, and Percy looked up to see his stallion, Blackjack standing in front of them.

"Hey buddy," Percy grinned and reached forward, petting Blackjack's mane. Blackjack whinnied in response, and Percy could hear his thoughts, seeing as his father was the king of the seas. Jason however, could not hear them.

_Is that apple for me? _Blackjack whinnied, and Percy chuckled before holding out his hand, offering the apple to his friend. Blackjack whinnied in delight and snatched the apple off of Percy's hand, chopping on it rather loudly.

"You should go see her," Jason said, and Percy turned while frowning at Jason. He half expected him to be completely joking, with a smile on his lips, but it was the entire opposite.

"Who?"

"Annabeth, stupid."

Percy frowned, wondering if Blackjack or one of the other seahorses had clonked Jason on the head, but Jason's arms were crossed almost like he was demanding that Percy should go.

"Why?" Percy asked while subconsciously patting Blackjack's mane as he nuzzled Percy's shoulder.

"Because you want to," Jason said, and then glanced up at the sea's surface so many miles above them, "and it's still early. If you want to escape your parents I'd suggest you go now."

A grin cracked on Percy's face, giving him his famous lopsided smile, and he gave Blackjack one last pat on the head before swimming towards Jason.

"Cover for me?" Percy asked, and Jason rolled his eyes, although he was trying not to smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't be too long, alright? Your dad can be very scary," Jason said, and Percy gave him a lovely bro hug before swimming up and over the gardens.

"You're the best!" he called to Jason and Jason just waved him off.

"I know! Now go!"

Percy grinned and turned to swim towards the gates.

* * *

><p><strong>Annabeth<strong>

Annabeth groaned in annoyance as she woke up early yet again. She thought that the jet lag should be working the opposite way, seeing as it was only four in the morning back in San Francisco and Florida was three hours ahead.

She sat up, unable to fall back asleep, and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She almost fell out of bed when something hit her balcony doors. At first she dubbed it off as nothing, but when it happened three more times she wondered if a delusional seagull was flying into her doors.

She walked over to them, pulling them back and stepping outside to get a better look. The warm morning air hit her with a cool breeze, brushing some of the hair that had fallen into her face, behind her.

"Morning!" someone called and Annabeth looked down to find Percy standing beneath her. Once again he was dressed in the same sea-green shorts as last night, but that was all he was in.

"Don't you know what time it is?" Annabeth asked, and Percy grinned.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

Annabeth thought for a moment, knowing that he didn't, and she couldn't hold back the smile that made its way onto her face at the thought that he had come here to see her at such an early hour too.

"No," she said matter-of-factly. Percy crossed his arms over his tanned chest and flashed her a lopsided grin.

"Then what are you still up there for? Come on, Wise Girl!"

"And where would we be going?" Annabeth asked, although she didn't really care. She couldn't force back the feeling of excitement that bubbled in her stomach.

"It's a surprise!" he called back, and the butterflies in Annabeth's stomach erupted. She grinned.

"Give me one minute!" and then she rushed behind the balcony doors, shutting them closed behind her to change. She glanced at herself in the mirror and inwardly cringed at her appearance. She had dark bags under her eyes, and her blonde hair was sticking up everywhere. She never really cared about her appearance that much, but now she felt like she wanted to impress Percy.

She rummaged through her drawers and pulled out a white t-shirt that had the words _"Everybody loves sunshine_" on it and a pair of jean shorts before changing quickly. She tried brushing through her curls, but her hair didn't really want to cooperate so she put it up in a ponytail.

She even applied a little pit of mascara, which was very rare for her to do, and slipped on her flip flops before heading- quietly- down the stairs.

She glanced back, making sure her parents and her step-brothers were asleep before racing out the door.

Percy was waiting for her, kicking his bare feet in the sand. Annabeth wondered what it was with him and no shoes, but he never really gave her an answer the first time she asked. He looked up when she stepped outside, and grinned. Annabeth took this moment to take him in completely, and she blushed when she did.

She had to admit, he was nice to look at, seeing that he had a tan complexion and toned abs that made him seem much older from his boyish grin that he would always flash her. His jet black hair fell into his eyes, and she resisted the urge to brush it back. His jaw was defined, and his teeth were a pearly white.

She felt herself staring and she instantly looked down at her feet, suddenly very interested in the sand.

"Are you coming?" Percy's voice spoke out, breaking Annabeth from her thoughts. She raised an eyebrow at him, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Percy placed a hand over his bare chest, and gasped, almost mocking the act of being offended.

"You wound me, Annabeth, really."

Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip to keep back the smile that oh so badly wanted to break out onto her face, but she knew that if she did so his ego would only grow.

"Anyways, will you just hurry up? I want to hurry before more people show up," Percy spoke, impatiently whining like he was a little boy hungry for candy. Annabeth rolled her eyes before following after him, the two of them leaving the deserted beach to head towards the road.

"Are you going to tell me at all where we're going?" Annabeth asked as they walked along the road, and Annabeth glanced nervously at Percy's bare feet, but he seemed less than worried about injuring himself and just continued walking along.

"No, not really," Percy said cheekily with a grin stretching at his lips. Annabeth's eyes lingered on him for a moment, noticing that he was a few inches taller than herself, and every few moments he would run a hand through his raven hair, leaving it messier than it was before.

They walked in silence for a bit, and Annabeth took her time to take in her surroundings. If she was going to be living here, she might as well get to know the roads without getting lost.

"So how do you like Florida so far?" Percy asked, breaking her of her thoughts as she looked up at the mix of palm and birch trees that loomed over them. They turned a corner, walking down the quiet street in the early morning, only the sound of a few stray cars and the chirps of birds filling the air.

"It's alright," Annabeth shrugged. Percy seemed to be amused by her answer, since he spluttered out what sounded like a laugh he was trying to resist, and Annabeth glared at him.

"What?" she demanded, not liking the feeling of Percy criticizing her.

"It's _alright_?" Percy asked, "that's all?"

"Well what did you want me to say?"

"I would have preferred for you to say that it's ten times better with me here because I make everything better," Percy said blatantly, while crossing his arms over his chest. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him incredulously.

"You've got a big ego, you know that?" Annabeth questioned, and Percy chuckled as he motioned for her to walk down a small brick path leading into a park.

"I've been told that," Percy said, "and I'll add you to the list!"

Annabeth scoffed, and ignored his childish ways, hoping not to let him get under her skin, although he seemed to be doing a pretty good job of getting into her heart, and making her mind race whenever she saw that goofy grin. Annabeth had always been a smart- intelligent- girl back at home in California, and she never let people undermine her, she was always able to tell their next step.

But Percy was different. She couldn't calculate his moves like she could with other people, and it was frustrating her to no end. It was like her brain turned to puddy whenever she was with him; and she didn't know if she liked it.

"Where are we?" Annabeth asked out loud, looking up at the tree tops that let the sunrise light cast through them, casting beautiful morning shadows along the greenest grass Annabeth has ever seen. It was cool against her feet, a nice change from the constant heat.

There were wooden benches lined up along the brick path, and Annabeth noticed that they had reached a large lake. The water glistened against the sun's rays, and it was so clear Annabeth could see the fish swimming underneath the surface.

"I figured that we needed a rematch," Percy said while turning to smile at Annabeth when they reached the edge of the grass and the beginning of the lake. Annabeth turned to look up at Percy, very confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Our little rock tossing game," Percy said smugly, "you tricked me, but now I say it's time for a rematch."

Annabeth shook her head, and couldn't ignore the grin that was pulling at the corners of her lips.

"Fine," Annabeth replied, "but don't expect to win."

"You only won because you cheated," Percy remarked, and Annabeth gasped.

"I didn't cheat! You just didn't pay close enough attention to my statement," Annabeth protested, and Percy rolled his eyes.

"_Sure_, whatever you say, Wise Girl."

Annabeth didn't like the way her heart fluttered when he said her nickname. She most certainly didn't like the wink he added at the end of his statement, and she _hated _the way she forgot how to breathe when he did so.

_Get it together, Annabeth. You barely know him. _She took a small breath before reaching down and picking up a smooth stone, running her fingers along the cool smooth surface.

"You're on Seaweed Brain, just don't come crying to me when you lose again," she challenged, and Percy raised his eyebrows at her, a light smirk playing on his lips.

"You're so on. This is war."

* * *

><p><strong>So there was some Percabeth in this chapter! And I hope you liked it. Drama is coming in the next chapter!<strong>

**Percy may or may not get chased away and Annabeth may or may not find out about his secret. **

**Who knows?**

**Review!**

**Thanks for reading! (: xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Annabeth won the rock tossing game, yet again. Percy's jaw dropped as her rock skipped three times more over the clear surface of the lake, and Annabeth couldn't force back the smug grin that made its way onto her face.

She crossed her arms over her chest and turned to face him, her smile widening and her eyes twinkling as Percy turned to her. His shock was replaced with humor as he turned to her, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"You're good, Annie," he said, and Annabeth scowled at the nickname that she loathed, which of course, only made Percy grin yet again.

"Please," she huffed, "I've beaten you both times."

Percy chuckled and walked over to one of the wooden benches that was near them. Annabeth followed suit and sat down next to him, the cool surface beneath her legs sent a small chill up her spine. The sun was still in the process of rising, and there were a few stray people walking by, getting in an early morning run, or enjoying the cool summer morning.

Annabeth leaned back against the bench, slightly forgetting that Percy was beside her, and she closed her eyes. Partially because she was tired, but also because she was just taking in the serenity of it all. She could just stay there forever and keep her eyes closed and it seemed like all of the worries and anxiety from moving melted away.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Percy spoke softly, for once in a serious tone.

"Hmm," Annabeth murmured in response, keeping her eyes closed, and she heard Percy shift from beside her.

"I love it," he continued to speak quietly, "the peacefulness. The lake, and the tall trees, and the cool morning dew on top of the grass."

It was almost as if he was painting a perfect picture in Annabeth's mind, because a warm feeling filled her stomach as if she could just sleep here, or walk here, or come here every day because it was just so…peaceful. Coming from the big city of San Francisco, Annabeth had to admit that this was one of the best feelings she's ever felt in a long time.

She opened her eyes, and noticed Percy had his arms spread out on the back of the bench as he leaned back onto it, and was staring at the lake with a soft smile playing on his lips. He had a faraway look in his eyes, and Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip as the sun illuminated him, sending a sort of golden glow around him.

That's when he turned, and caught her eye just as she turned away. He chuckled as her cheeks reddened and she rolled her eyes, expecting a snide comment.

"I know you can't resist me, Wise Girl," he teased, and Annabeth scoffed.

"In your dreams, Seaweed Brain."

Percy chuckled, and then his eyes fell on the lake, but this time he seemed sad. Annabeth didn't like the way his eyes lost their sparkle, and she didn't like the way the smile on his face slowly disappeared until his lips formed a straight line.

She didn't like it, one bit.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently, and Percy seemed to be in a trance that he didn't hear her.

"What? Oh, sorry," he said, running a hand through his messy black hair. He seemed to break from his trance, almost as if he was trying to cover up the sudden sadness that was on his face a moment ago. He grinned rather largely at Annabeth, but she noticed that the sparkle hadn't come back in his eyes.

"Percy," she said more sternly this time, "what's wrong?"

His smile faltered, but he managed to stay collected.

"It's a long story for another time," he said, and then smiled genuinely at her, relieving her worries for a moment, "I don't want to ruin this."

For some reason, his words made her heart flutter and she forced herself to look away from him in order to escape him seeing her blush.

"I should probably head back soon," Annabeth said while looking up at the brightening sky, "my parents will wonder where I am." Percy shrugged and turned to her.

"I can come with you," he said, "luckily for you, I'm here all day."

Annabeth didn't like the way her heart lightened at his words, how he was going to be able to be with her, all day. It sent her mind spiraling and her heart rate pumping at rapid speeds.

"Alright," she said with a small smile on her lips, "let's head home then."

* * *

><p>Much to Annabeth's surprise, her parents were too busy unpacking and cleaning up the house to worry about where Annabeth was heading off. They especially didn't notice the teenage boy waiting for her on the beach below their house in nothing but sea-green shorts.<p>

Annabeth wasn't complaining.

She had told Percy to wait for her down on the beach as she grabbed a few things from her room. She grabbed her white shoulder-bag and threw in her phone, sunglasses, and her wallet. She glanced in the mirror, taking in her appearance and deemed it satisfactory before heading quickly down the stairs.

She scowled to herself once she was outside, wondering why she cared so much about her appearance, she never really cared for what other people thought how she looked, as long as she thought she looked fine that's all that mattered. But now here she was, wondering if _Percy _would like how she looked.

"Took you long enough," Percy said with a slight smile as Annabeth walked through the sand, kicking up some from the back of her flip-flops, as she made her way over to him. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he grinned in response.

"Shut it," she said, "so, what are we doing?"

"There's a carnival," he said, "downtown. Wanna go?"

Annabeth grinned, and nodded maybe too quickly, but her inner child was screaming to come out seeing as she _loved _the carnival, especially as a child.

"Yes!"

* * *

><p>Music blared from the carnival, and it wasn't hard to miss the large Ferris wheel that stood above the entirety of the carnival. People walked through it, and it was very crowded for a Saturday afternoon in the middle of July, but Annabeth didn't mind.<p>

She glanced at Percy whom she had given an old t-shirt of her dad's which seemed a little big on him, but it would do, seeing as he couldn't exactly walk into the carnival shirtless. He protested wearing shoes though, seeing as that wasn't a requirement for the carnival, but Annabeth still tried to get him to wear some, seeing as the pavement must have been hot on his feet.

He was stubborn, that's for sure.

"Cotton candy!" he said suddenly, his face lightening up like he was a five-year old child, and he jogged over to the cotton candy stand. Annabeth chuckled as she followed him, and watched as the people at the stand swirled the fluffy candy around a stick and handed it to Percy. He reached in his pockets to pay, and pulled out some money before they headed off.

Annabeth reached over and plucked a piece off of it, ignoring Percy's protests not to.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"It's called sharing, Seaweed Brain," she said while rolling her eyes and popping the candy into her mouth, letting it dissolve on her tongue. Percy pouted, but just shoved another piece into his mouth. Annabeth had noticed that he had gotten the blue cotton candy instead of the pink, and she smiled. She liked the blue better anyways.

"We should go on the Ferris wheel later," Annabeth noted while taking another piece of cotton candy when he wasn't looking. Percy instantly paled, and just nodded numbly.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he said, and instantly became very uninterested in his cotton candy, which he was devouring a few minutes earlier. Annabeth studied him for a minute, and then came to her conclusion.

"You're afraid of heights," she pointed out, and Percy's eyes flashed to her in panic.

"Me? Psh, no!"

Annabeth chuckled and shook her head, taking another piece of cotton candy, and he didn't bother to protest this time.

"Everyone has fears," she said, "yours just happens to be heights."

"Oh yeah?" Percy said while becoming hungry again and eating more blue cotton candy, "what's your fear?"

"Spiders," Annabeth answered almost instantly, and shuddered slightly as the image of those creepy crawlers filled her mind. Percy burst out laughing, throwing his head back in all as they walked by many food stands and games. All of which looked very tempted.

"Spiders?" Percy said in-between laughter and Annabeth's murderous glare.

"Yeah, got a problem?" she challenged while narrowing her eyes at him, and his laughter subsided.

"They're harmless!"

"Not all of them. Ever heard of poisonous?"

Percy's smile disappeared, and he seemed to be thinking for a moment before pointing at Annabeth like she had made a fair argument.

"Touché," he said before plopping a big chunk of cotton candy into his mouth and smiling in satisfaction.

"Oh my gods, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed suddenly, noticing a giant panda stuffed animal hanging in the prize section of a water gun race booth. She tried not to be too childish, but she couldn't resist large stuffed animals. They were her ultimate weakness.

She was pretty sure she had scared Percy, seeing as he jumped almost a foot at her shriek, but he was now looking for what she was excited about.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The panda!"

"Don't tell me you want that thing," he said while rolling his eyes. Annabeth tried to give him her best puppy-dog eyes, and Percy chuckled before leading her over to the crowded game.

"How much for a game?" Annabeth asked as they talked to the man leading the booth.

"Five," he said. Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other at the ridiculous price, but Percy couldn't resist the way Annabeth looked at him with those big gray eyes.

He placed a five on the table, and sat down at the water gun. Annabeth set down her own five and sat down next to him, and they waited as more people filed in and sat down.

"On your mark," the attendant said, "get set…go!"

Annabeth forced her aim right towards the small hole the water gun was supposed to go to, and she kept her eyes on the prize. Literally. The panda was hard to miss.

After a few minutes, the bell rang, signaling that the game was over. You needed to win five games in a row to win the giant panda. Unfortunately, some little girl next to her had won that game, and Annabeth let out a sigh as she picked a small dog stuffed animal and raced off.

"Come on, Percy," Annabeth said and stood up to walk away, but Percy didn't like the way she looked so defeated. He sighed and placed another five on the table.

"Percy what-"

"Shush Wise Girl," he said, waving her off. He was against a few other rowdy teenagers, some of who looked drunk, and he cringed at them, seeing as it was only around one in the afternoon.

That's why he didn't feel guilty for…helping himself out a bit. He willed the water from his water gun to go faster, and earning him the first place spot. The teenagers groaned as he won, and seeing as he won and could play again for free, he did so. Luckily for him, so did the teenagers, and he yet again used his powers to will the water to move quickly.

This continued three more times, and the panda was his. He thanked the cashier before turning to Annabeth and handing her the panda. He couldn't help but smile at the way her gray eyes lit up and a smile made its way onto her face.

"I could hug you right now!" she said and pulled the panda into her chest. Percy couldn't force down the feeling he felt that he kind of wanted her to…

He scratched the back of his neck, the way he did whenever he was nervous, and chuckled before turning to thank the attendant at the booth.

"Anytime," she said in response, "by the way, you two make a very cute couple."

Percy and Annabeth's cheeks both flushed, and they stammered to say that they weren't, but the attendant only smiled at them before turning back to the next costumers.

Percy and Annabeth walked in silence for a few minutes, until a girl, one from the rowdy group who seemed far too drunk for this early in the afternoon, came up to them. She had brown hair and blue eyes, and she smiled at Percy.

"Hey, you were that boy who beat us in the game right?" she said, stepping too close to him for comfort. Percy noticed that her hands were wet, probably from the game (Percy had made sure to will the water away from him), and as she stepped closer, his nerves stood on end.

"Uh, yeah," he said, and she smiled at him.

"You're cute, you should hang out with me and my friends," she said, and leaned closer. Percy took a step back, trying to avoid any contact, especially if her hands were wet. The worst thing to happen was for him to spring a tail in the middle of a very populated area. Especially in front of Annabeth.

_Wait, why do you care what she thinks? _He asked himself, but he shook his thoughts away.

"Sorry, I'm here with a friend," he said, and gestured to Annabeth who was practically hidden behind the giant panda. The girl looked at her and scowled before walking away, grumbling a "whatever" and "your loss."

Percy looked at Annabeth and as soon as they made eye-contact, they both started laughing.

* * *

><p>Annabeth hated this.<p>

Well, she didn't hate _anything _that was going on, but she hated the way she _felt_. Every time Percy looked at her and smiled, her heart would flutter, and she caught herself staring at him even more often. The way his messy raven hair would flow in the wind, and his sea-green eyes with flecks of gold and pools of blue in them always seemed to captivate her. She couldn't be falling for him…she barely knew him!

Well, she couldn't say that now. She did know him, but she just didn't want to fall for him. That would only create drama, and she knew from her old friends back in San Francisco that there only comes drama with relationships and feelings.

She wanted to just be carefree with him, the way he made her feel was so carefree and she loved it. She didn't want all of the drama that came with…feelings. She inwardly shuddered and felt her mind race as she noticed the sun was setting while she took a bite of her vanilla soft-serve.

Percy was sitting across from her at the wooden table on the boardwalk. The carnival was behind them, and the ocean was in front of them as the sun set slowly. Annabeth had to admit, it had been a perfect day. After Percy had won her the giant panda bear, they sat down and people-watched, commenting on everyone who passed by and coming up with stories about that person's background. After that, they stuffed their faces with hot dogs, and played a few more games. Percy had won a small turtle stuffed animal whom he named Sheldon, and then they just walked around and talked about anything and everything.

Now here they were as the sun set, and they ate their ice cream.

Annabeth giggled when Percy went to take a bit of his soft serve and a dab of it ended up on the tip of his nose. He crossed his eyes to look at it, and only seemed to spike Annabeth's giggles even more.

"Seaweed Brain," she muttered as he tried to lick it off. She threw a napkin at him, and he took it while grinning sheepishly.

"Thanks," he said while wiping it off. Annabeth shook her head, and noticed that the purple had dancing colors of purple and orange in it as the sun set fire to the sky. The water glistened, as people of all ages lounged near it, or played in it. Annabeth shuddered as she looked at it, hating the large body of water. She wasn't exactly a huge fan of the ocean, or any large bodies of water, especially since she nearly drowned when she was younger.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Percy asked, breaking her of her thoughts. She turned to him, and shrugged before taking another bite of her ice cream.

"Nothing," she said, "just the sunset."

"It's beautiful, huh?" he said, looking out at it. Annabeth nodded in agreement, and then looked back up at the Ferris wheel that turned slowly and was strung with different colored lights. It was like a scene right out of a movie, and Annabeth's heart fluttered as she looked at Percy. He had bought a white tank top and had given Annabeth her dad's shirt back so he wouldn't forget to return it later. She sighed as she looked at him, and her heart skipped a beat.

_Stop it! _She scolded herself, but when Percy grinned that lopsided grin, she couldn't help before blush.

* * *

><p>Percy sighed, knowing that he needed to head back soon. He was already in trouble as it was, and he couldn't afford for his punishments to get worse. He stood from the table once he and Annabeth were finished with their ice cream, and held out his hand for Annabeth to take. He noticed her cheeks flush, making his own cheeks redden as she took his hand and he helped her to her feet.<p>

"I'll walk you home," he said, and Annabeth nodded, a flash of disappointment glossing over her eyes.

They walked in silence for a while, but it was a nice silence. That was, until Percy started telling corny jokes that made Annabeth laugh, seeing as it was so lighthearted and carefree that she just needed to genuinely _laugh _and it felt good to laugh.

When they neared Annabeth's street, Percy's heart filled with dread. No doubt he would be grounded after this incident, and he didn't know when he'd be able to see Annabeth again, and his mind raced with anger at the predicament he was in.

They walked up to Annabeth's front door, and Percy smiled at her, to which she returned it.

"I had a really fun time today," she said, and Percy nodded.

"As did I."

They stood in silence for a few moments, until Percy reached up and scratched the back of his neck again, and grinned sheepishly at her.

"Goodnight," he said and stepped down from the porch.

"Goodnight," she said back with a smile, "I'll see you soon?"

Dread filled Percy's stomach, but he couldn't bring himself to say no, so he just nodded and stepped back. Annabeth smiled and waved once to him before heading inside with one last grin. Percy waited until the door was completely shut before letting out the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding.

He turned on his heel and raced towards the water. Now that the sky was darkened from the moon rising, he didn't worry too much about anyone seeing him. The beach was deserted anyways.

He closed his eyes as he leapt into the water, and flashed of Annabeth's face filled his mind.

He was falling for her, and he couldn't stop it.

* * *

><p>Annabeth closed the door and let out a sigh before heading upstairs, quietly, to her room. She didn't know if the twins were asleep, and the last thing she wanted to do was wake them up. She headed into her room, and closed the door behind her.<p>

She plopped down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, with the little glow in the dark stars and moon stuck to the ceiling above her. Her eyes glanced over them for a moment, and she smiled, thinking back to her childhood. Whenever she was scared when she was younger, she would look up at those stars and the moon, and instantly feel better. It was almost better than the actual thing, but seeing as she lived in busy San Francisco, it was difficult to see the stars.

Suddenly, a cool breeze came from the balcony that she hadn't realized was open, so she headed over to close it.

That's when she saw him.

Percy was running towards the ocean, as the breeze blew his hair back, and Annabeth's lips parted in wonder at to what he was doing. He leapt into the ocean, diving almost perfectly, and disappearing under the waves.

Annabeth scanned the water nervously when he didn't come back up right away, and she was almost ready to jump down and run after him.

Until a sea-green tail popped up, splashed the water back, and disappeared under the water all-together.

* * *

><p><strong>So Annabeth saw. Yay! jk, idrek. <strong>

**There was some Percabeth fluff in this chapter, but I hope you liked it.**

**What do you think Annabeth's reaction will be?**

**Review!**

**Thanks for reading (: xx**

**~stay beautiful~**


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